Panel construction



March 5, 1957 L. E. MEDAL ETAL PANEL CONSTRUCTION Filed 0:3. 5. 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l wwmwitiwwiwwwmi5EE Le n E. Medal Henry E Forbe INVENTORS March 5, 1957 L. E. MEDAL ET AL 2,783,507

PANEL CONSTRUCTION Filed 001:. 5, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Leon E. Medal Henry E Porbes 11V VL-JN TORS awn W m March 5, 1957 L. E. MEDAL ETAL PANEL CONSTRUCTION 3 Shets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 5, 1953 QQm Leon E. Medal Henry F. Parbes I N V EN TORS BY WW 3m Unit d S ate Paten 19 PANEL CONSTRUCTIGN" Leon E. Medal and Henry F. Porbes, New Orleans, La., asslgnorsto Home and Building. Parts Company, Inc.,

New Orleans, La, a corporation of Louisiana Application October 5, 1953, Serial No. 384,170

2 Claims. (CL 20-4) This inventiou'relates to new and useful improvements in panel constructions, and the primary object of the present inventionis to provide a wall-forming member withnovel and improved interlocking means at the vertical edge portions thereof whereby two such wall-forming -mem'bersmay be readily assembled in a convenient manner to produce a wall construction.

Another important object of the present invention'is a filler for an adjacent panel section.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a panel construction including inner and outer plies of relatively rigid material with a corrugated filler suitably fined between the pliesto' provide a strengthened-panel construction with ventilating cores.

A further object of the present invention is toprovide a panel construction of the aforementioned character wherein the corrugations of the filler are formedwith pressed'ribs for the purpose of reinforcing a-nd strengthening the filler and the entire panel construction ofwhich the filler is a part.

A further object of thepresent invention is to provide a panel construction having improved features overthat disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,576,530, and particularly involving a novel and improved joint connection" between the abutting vertical edge portionsof adjacentpanelsections. 7

A still further aim of the present invention isto provide a panel construction or wall-forming member 'thatis inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise-Welladapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects'and advantageswhich will" become subsequently apparent reside in 'the'det'ails 'ofconstr'uction and operation as more fullyhereinafter described and claimed; reference being'had to 'the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, wherein like numerals refer to like'parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary horizontal sectional viewof -a building constructed in accordance with the present: in-

. perspective and partly in section to emphasizethemanner in which the'strengtheningribs are. formed onthe fillers of. the wall-forming members;

extremely simple and practical in construction,f-strong and reliable in use, efficient, and durable in operation,

2,783,507 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 ice Figure '4 is a view similar to Figure 3* but illustrating the entire filler in perspective;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially'on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the strengthening ribs in modified form;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing two wall-forming members in slightly modified form and connected together;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but showing'the wall-forming members in further modified form and spaced apart;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figures 7 and 8' and showing the wall-forming members in additionally modified form'and spaced apart; 7 I

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the abutting end portions of the two wall-formingm'e'rnbers illustrated in Figure 8; and

Figure' 11' is a fragmentary vertical sectional view throughthe abutting end portions of thev fillersofthe two Wall-forming members shown in Figure 8 after the members have been assembled.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and more particularly to Figure 1, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed one embodimentof'thepresent' invention, the numeralltl represents a wall-forming m'ember'orpanel which is composedof inner'and outer spaced parallel vertical. plies 12 and 14' and a,preferably'metallic, corrugated filler 16 between the p'lies'12 and 14, It is to be understood that the" term wall-forming ember is hereinafter' used for convenience only in fdesignating these structures and the panels may readily be utilized as wall, ceiling, roof or floor-forming members.

The plies 12 and 14 are provided with adjacent vertical edge portions 18 and 20, the edge portion 20'of ply 14is inwardly horizontally offset from the edge portion 18 of ply 12. Filler 16 is provided with a V-shaped' end portion'22 that extends across and which'fa'cestheedge portion 20 of ply 14. Edge portion 22 terminates ingfa channel-shaped vertical seat element 24 that extends across and which faces edge portion 18 of plylZ. H

stud element 26 is suitably fixed in seat. element 24 and extends toward the inner face of ply 12. Avertical locking strip 28, of resilient material, 'is' suitably fi'xe'd between stud element 26 and the inner face of my 12 and has one edge bent to form a vertically extending channeled edge portion 30, one flange of which rests against the flat cut face 32 of stud element 26 to'restrict bending of edge portion 30 in one direction. I,

A- group of the members 10" are employed for forming a building wall, and where the end member of one wall is disposed perpendicular to the'en'd member of. an ad- 'jacent wall, these end members are joined to'a corner 'post'34. The seat elements24' of the perpendicularmernbers= 10 engage relatively perpendicular 'faces' of theip'osts 34- to which resilient, vertical locking strips '36 and 38 are suitably secured.

The strips 36 and 38 have vertical flanges 40' and 42 that contact each other and which terminate in oppositely extending channeled edge porti0ns'4'4 and 46 thatinterlockinglyengage the edge portions 30 of' the perpendicular members 10. I 7

Corner panels 48 and 50' are secured to. the otherrela- -"tively perpendicular faces, of post 34 and have outer vertical edges: 52 and 5.4 which abut the edge portions" "20 of the outer plies 14 of the: perpendicularly arrange'dnrembers 10. a

Means; is provided for joining the inner: plies: 12- of therelatively perpendicular wallfformin'g. members; 10 together. This means comprises a resilient. angle; strip 56 suitably secured to the adjacent outer faces; of the plies 12. The vertical edges of the strip 56 are bent to form channeled edge portions 58 and 60 which yield ingly engage the vertically disposed channeled edge portions 62 and 64 on the flanges 66 and 68 of a concavoconvexed corner finishing strip 70.

Attention is next directed to Figure 2 wherein there is illustrated the present invention in a slightly modified form. In this embodiment, the wall-forming members or panels are designated by the numerals 72 and 74. The members are similarly constructed and each includes an inner ply 76 and an outer ply 78 as well as a corrugated, preferably metallic, filler 80 which is suitably fixed between the inner and outer plies 76 and 78.

The inner plies 76 of the wall-forming members 72, 74

are equal in length and width to the outer plies 78 of the wall-forming members 72, 74, however, the inner plies are offset with respect to the outer plies so that one vertical edge portion 80 of each member will be 'in- .wardly oifset with respect to one edgeportion 82 of the iother ply 76, and the other edge portion 74 of the ply 78 of one member will be outwardly offset from the other vertical edge portion 86 of the member.

The fillers 80 between the plies of members 72 and 74 are provided with V-shaped vertical edge portions 88 and 90 that face and extend across the edge portions 80 and 86 and terminate in flanges 92 and 94 which are spaced from the edge portions 82 and 84. Stud elements 96 and 98 are suitably fixed between the flanges 92 and 94 and the edge portions 82 and 84.

Vertically disposed resilient L-shaped locking strips 100 and 102 are secured to the inner faces of the plies 76 and 78 adjacent the edge portions 86 and 80 thereof and include flanges 104 and 106 that extend toward the end portions 88 and 90, respectively, of the filler.

Additional vertically disposed resilient locking strips '108 and 110 are suitably secured between the stud elements 96, 98 and plies 76, 78 and terminate in vertically disposed channeled edge portions 112 and 114 that rest i the portion 90 of member 74s filler and stud element 98 of member 74 will enter portion 88 of filler 80 of member 72. The channeled edge portion 112 of mem ber' 72 will snappingly engage the flange 106 of member :74 and the channeled edge portion 114 of member 74 will snappingly engage flange 104 of member 72, to retain members 72 and 74 assembled with edge portions 80 and '82 of member 72 abutting edge portions 84 and 86 of member 74.

' Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the fillers 80a of the wall- .forming members provided with vertically extending undulated strengthening ribs 31 for reinforcing and strengthening the fillers and Figure 6 shows the corrugation' of the filler 80b provided with V-shaped reinforcing and strengthening ribs 31b. The ribs 81 or 81b are preferably formed by pressing the material of the fillers. Figure 7 illustrates the wall-forming members 72a and 74a in further modified form. In this embodiment, the V-shaped vertical end portions 88a and 90a of the filler 80c of each member 72a, 74:: extend between the plies ,76a and 78a and include vertical flanges 92a and 94a ,that rest against the inner face of the plies 78a and 76a,

respectively.

Substantially triangular stud elements 96a and 98a are ,suitably retained in the V-shaped portions 88:: and 90a 'to strengthen and reinforce the same. The apices of the .portions 88a and 90a project outwardly beyond the vertical edge portions of the plies 76a and 78a so that as the members 72a and 74a are brought together, the :portion 88a of member 72a will engage portion 900: of member 74a and flange 92a of member 72a will rest .against the inner face of ply 78a of member 74a, and,

4 flange 94a of member 74a will rest against the inner face of ply 76a of member 72a.

Fasteners 91 extend through ply 78a of member 7411, flange 92a of member 72a and into stud element 96a of member 72a, and, fasteners 93 extend through ply 76a of member 72a, flange 94a of member 74a and into stud element 98a of member 74a to retain the members 720 and 74a in coplanar relation.

Figures 8, l0 and 11 show wall-forming members 721 and 74b similar to members 72a and 74a of Figure 7,

although the V-shaped vertical edge portions 88b and 90b of the fillers d are not secured to stud elements. The flanges of end portions 88b and b which extend between the plies 76b and 78b of the members are formed with outstruck tongues 91b and 93b. Tongues 91b have their free end portions extending downwardly and tongues 93b have their free end portions extending upwardly in overlapping relationship to tongues 91b, so that the tongues 91b and 9312 will interlock, as shown in Figure 11 when the members 7211 and 74b are brought together.

Figure 9 illustrates the wall-forming members 720 and 74c having corrugated metallic fillers 80d whose ends are bent back to form vertical substantially triangular end portions 88c and 90c that project outwardly from the vertical edges of the members 72c and 740.

The end portion 88c of member 72c is bent back against the inner face of ply 78c and the end portion 90c of member 74c is bent back against the inner face of ply 76c of member 74c. Tongues 93c are struck from the flange 950 of end portion 90c, and will enter slots 910 as the members 720 and 74c are moved together to engage portion 88c and 900; position portion 900 of member 7 10 behind ply 76c of member 72c; and, to position portion 88c of member 72c behind ply 78c of member 740.

Portion 88c is provided with a rounded corner surface 101a for riding against the adjacent edge of ply 780 of member 74c and portion 90c is provided with rounded corner 103c for riding against the adjacent edge of ply 76c of member 72c as the members 720 and 740 are brought together.

It is noted that the left vertical edge portion of a wallforming member is inversely symmetrical to the right vertical edge portion of the wall-forming member so that adjacent vertical edge portions of adjacent wallforming members may be readily inter-connected to produce a wall construction. Furthermore, in the various embodiments of the invention, the vertical corrugavertical edge portions of the inner and outer plies of one member will abut the vertical edge portions of adjacent -inner and outer plies of an adjacent wall-forming mem her, to produce a flush interior and exterior wall surface. I The panel construction thus described are applicable as ceilings, roofs, walls or floors, and the inclusion of the corrugated fillers provides panels with cores for the passage of wiring, insulation purposes, or for the circulation of heated air as in radiant heating.

What is claimed as new is as follows: 1. A building structure comprising first and second members each being composed of inner and outer plies having adjacent vertical edge portions and a corrugated filler between said plies, said fillers having vertical end portions which contact each other when the members are arranged in coplanar relationship with the edge portions of the plies of one member in abutting relation with the edge portions of the plies of the other member,

'- said end portions of said fillers being V-shape and having end flanges abutting one of said plies of each of said first and second members, said vertical edge portions of said fillers having tongues struck therefrom, the tongues of one filler interlockingly engaging the tongues of the other filler to maintain the vertical end portions of the fillers in contact with each other.

2. A building structure comprising first and second members each being composed of inner and outer plies having adjacent vertical edge portions and a corrugated filler between said plies, the inner ply of the first member having a vertical edge portion inwardly offset from a vertical edge portion of the outer ply of said first memher and the outer ply of said second member having a vertical edge portion inwardly offset from a vertical-edge portion of the inner ply of said second member, said fillers having vertical end portions which contact each other when the members are arranged in coplanar relationship with the edge portions of the plies of one member in abutting relation with the edge portions of the plies of the other member, said end portions of said fillers being V-shape and having end flanges abutting one of said plies of each of said first and second mem bers, said vertical edge portions of said fillers having tongues struck therefrom, the tongues of one filler interlockingly engaging the tongues of the other filler to maintain the vertical end portionsof the fillers in contact with each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,207,734 Feeley Dec. 12, 1916 1,686,118 Barrie Oct. 2, 1928 2,076,728 Keller Apr. 13, 1937 2,190,490 Sendzimir Feb. 13, 1940 2,339,220 Crowley Jan. 11, 1944 2,576,530 Medal Nov. 27, 1951 

